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Château de Bagatelle
The Château de Bagatelle is a small residence in Marnes-la-Coquette, in the Seigneurie de L'Étang. Being only around 11 miles outside of Paris, Bagatelle is a favorite place for the House Le Tellier to use. During the early Spring, Bagatelle is used as a small outing for the Marquis de Louvois and his immediate family. It is used by other members of the family when the Marquis is at court. History The first record of a building here was attributed to the House Courcillon in 1551, when a small château was built by the family looking to expand in Paris. That being said, they were known to only have used this building around 8 times in over 20 years. The majority of the time, the original building was left empty. The building was said to be a very small, half-stone and half-timber frame work. It had a small garden with 3 fountains facing the north facade. The only remains of this original property are the fountains, which are still situated in their original location, and the boundary of the original garden,known as the "green envelope." By 1638, the House Courcillon was running low on funds and had to start downsizing on their properties. They had a young daughter at the time, by the name of Genevieve Aceline. The family would search high and low for a suitable candidate until the following year. The Marquis de Louvois' son, Charles Xavier, was selected in 1639, however the wedding did not take place until the following year. The dowry was simple: Bragatelle's property. The territory was added to the Seigneurie de L'Étang. In 1643, the old building and the majority of the ornamentation around it were dismantled and removed to be sold, save the 3 fountains that left a decent enough view. This began the building work of what is currently in place. Charles designated Louis-David Bousson, an architect from Reims. The building took 5 long years, but the result was dazzling. It was small and had many outbuildings in what was called the "nouvelle enveloppe," an extension around the hill that included new pavilions, notably the new Domaines, for favored guests. These Pavilions became known as the Domaines de la Marquise et de la Douairière in later years, as that is what they became known for in use. Bagatelle was used as a Spring Residence for Charles Xavier and his family until his death in 1667, when it was passed to his son, Jean-Claude. The departed's widow took place in the Domaine du Nord, while the new Marquise took the Domaine du Sud, this deriving their present names. Merely 12 years into his tenure, Jean-Claude commissioned the building of a pavilion in a place of the hill that was, until that point, unused. The decision was made to hire Henri Gascon once again, who decided to design an Italian-styled pavilion that asymmetrically wrapped around the old height of the hill, carving out a new, mid-ranged elevation. This building was known to be called the "Trianon de Carrousel," for its permanently built carousel built on one end. The majority of the building was devoted to pleasure, however a Guest Suite was built in the core. The successive 3 Marqiuses de Louvois were all born in Bagatelle. The last major alteration took place in 1737, when Louis-Michel Le Tellier commissioned the "Grotte de Médée," an homage to the play series by Euripides and their corresponding legend. Other Names and Traditions The current name, Bagatelle, means "decorative nothing," as it once was seen as a playground for the owners. It is still, however, seen as a source of profit, as it contains lovely woods for hunting lands and very nice oranges. It did, however, have an older name in its original place: Bois-d'Or. This is because of an old set of trees now long gone that once had yellow leaves in the Autumn. It is currently a place of refuge for any Le Tellier during all months except the Spring, when the Marquis de Louvois makes his Spring Outing near, but not in, Paris. It is also the place of a monthly Carrousel, where the Marquis collects a fee from vendors to sell wares. There has been a tradition of leaving white roses in the Apartment Library and on a table in the Marquis' bedroom. This is in morning of 2 lost Marquises of more recent years, the first wives of François-Michel and Louis-Michel, respectively. It is also a long standing tradition to leave a single copper sol on the statue of Damocles in the main building. Similar traditions occur at the family's largest residence at Louvois, where there is another statue of Damocles at the formal stairwell, however the origin is unclear. The most suggested reason is a reference to the House's constantly fragile position, or really, all houses' fragile positions within the Empire, and the sol is a reference of dues.__FORCETOC__ Category:List of Châteaux Category:House Le Tellier